Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-10-23

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The formation of rain-shadow deserts

Student answer (Band 6.0)

The diagram illustrates the making process of rain-shadow desert.

Overall, the winds approach coast side of sea and it undergoes total 7 steps to form rain-shadow desert at thousands of kilometres far.

Firstly, the winds approach coast side of the sea then winds pushed in upward direction. Afterthis, a moisture was added in winds and it became moist air then this moist air rose more in upward direction and it cooled there. Furthermore, due to this moist and cooled air there were cloud formation. These clouds caused rain fall there and this all process was going in the windward side of mountains.

After, this process went through in a leeward side and at the sixth step of process, when rain stopped the air became dry and this dry air continued over mountain. Then, this dry winds reached inland areas and there it became rain-shadow desert at the other end of the mountain almost thousands of kilometres far from the process from where it began.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You cover the main sequence from winds approaching the coast to dry winds reaching inland, and you identify the windward and leeward sides. The overview also recognises that the process has seven stages and that the desert forms inland. However, some details are unclear or not fully supported by the diagram: “a moisture was added in winds” suggests moisture is introduced at a separate stage, whereas the diagram shows moist air rising and cooling. The final claim that the desert is “almost thousands of kilometres far from the process” is also imprecise; the scale indicates a distance of thousands of kilometres across the diagram, not a measured distance from the process. Describe the stages more precisely and distinguish the diagram’s scale from the process itself.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction and overview are followed by the windward stages and then the leeward stages. This makes the process reasonably easy to follow. Sequencing expressions such as “Firstly,” “After this,” and “Then” help guide the reader, although some transitions are mechanical or awkward, including “Furthermore” and “After, this process went through in a leeward side.” The reference in “this all process” is also unclear, and the final sentence repeats the idea of distance without making the relationship clear. Use more precise links between cause and result, and make each reference point unmistakable—for example, explain that rain leaves the air dry before it continues over the mountain.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “moist air,” “cloud formation,” “windward side,” “leeward side,” and “inland areas,” which is adequate for describing the diagram. There are also attempts to use more formal wording, such as “illustrates” and “undergoes.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise: “making process” is less suitable than “formation,” “a moisture was added” does not accurately express the diagram, and “rain fall” and “dry winds” are not the most natural forms in context. “At thousands of kilometres far” is also an awkward way to describe the scale. Build accuracy by learning common process collocations and choosing terms that describe what the diagram actually shows.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a sequence joined with “then” and a clause beginning “when rain stopped.” The overall meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the winds approach coast side of sea” is missing articles and has an awkward noun phrase; “winds pushed in upward direction” lacks an auxiliary verb; and “this moist air rose more in upward direction and it cooled” has an unnatural repeated structure. There are also errors in article use and agreement in “there were cloud formation.” Practise accurate passive forms (“the winds are pushed upwards”), articles, and concise clause construction. These improvements would make the process description clearer and more controlled.

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